It is pretty common knowledge that the spring is the best time of year to list a house for sale. As the weather clears up, your home will show better. Buyers start coming out of their winter hibernation. And if others are listing their houses for sale, it means there will be more potential buyers available to buy your home. But just because it is the best time of year to sell a house, that does not mean it is the best time of year to buy one.

In fact, the spring can often be a bad time of year to buy because there is so much competition. There are more bidding wars, more showings, and house values generally balloon in the spring. So a house that should sell for $280,000 might sell for $300,000 or more during the peak selling season.

Instead, trying to buy in December or January can often make a lot more sense. Houses don’t show as well, there are fewer prospective buyers, and the people selling their homes in the heart of the winter are serious sellers who tend to have a need to sell now (otherwise they would have waited until the spring).

So if you are in the market for a new house, sooner is better right now. Go, find a house, put in an offer, and try to close before the spring hits, or else you might see house prices jump.

If you are in the market for a new house this year and would like to see how much house you can afford, please contact me. And if you would like to add anything about when you think the best time of year to buy a house is, please leave a comment.